Its Whats on the Inside That Counts
by Ayasha
Summary: Harry needs some reassurance during his stay after escaping the Death Eaters at Bill and Fleur's wedding.


**It's what's on the inside that counts**

A month has passed since Bill and Fleur's wedding, and the attack on the burrow, Harry Hermione and Ron had been staying at Grimmauld place since. Harry had found it hard to come back too this place, he hadn't been here since Sirius's death. Even though it had been almost two years since, it still hurt as if it was yesterday. Harry sometimes wondered if he would ever come to terms with Sirius's death. He often felt cheated, Voldemort had taken his parents from him and the chance to get to know them and have the childhood he should have had. Bellatrix Lestrange took Sirius and with him the memories of his parents and a future he and Sirius could have shared, and the chance at a family that he knew loved him. Even though Sirius wasn't his father he was still the only family Harry had, now he was gone. The Weasley's saw Harry as part of their family, but it wasn't the same as having his own family.

How was he supposed to feel strong enough to fight a rival who had so much more experience and knowledge of magic than he had? How was he supposed to defeat someone who had taken so much and left him with what seemed so little? Harry was after all only seventeen and sometimes had had trouble in school. Finding the Horcruxes was proving hard enough, just having an idea of what they could be was not enough. It had been so many years since they had been seen, and since they had been created, they could be anywhere. After finding out the locket that he and Dumbledore had acquired was a fake he had felt defeated, he had no idea where to find the real one. Things were now looking up as much as they could anyway. He, Hermione and Ron had found where the real lockets were, and the three of them were no making plans to obtain it. They had found out from Mundungus Fletcher that Dolores Umbridge had the locket, she had taken it from him as a bribe. The problem now was she and the locket were in the ministry and they were not. Ron Harry and Hermione had been making preparations for the last month, they were planning to infiltrate the ministry and take the locket back.

As he sat on the bed in the center of the room Sirius had used as a child and on into his teens he couldn't help but smile at Sirius's boldness. The room with its posters of muggle girls and motorcycles , and all it Gryffindor colors everywhere, defiantly sent its message loud and clear. _Sirius's mother must have loved his decorating choices_ thought Harry sarcastically. This room had become a sort of safe place he could think without being bothered too much. It had become sort of a safe haven, and a place he felt close to Sirius. He looked at the only moving picture in the room, a wizard photo of his father, Sirius , Lupin, and Pettigrew. Harry never grew tired of seeing this picture, the Marauders preserved forever, though he sort of wished he could get it off the wall and rip Peter out. Sirius had made it impossible for that, he had used a permanent sticking charm on it.

"Harry here you are!" Exclaimed Hermione as she looked in the door of Sirius's room.

"Hey Hermione," answered Harry in a tired voice.

"Are you alright? You seem a little distant lately, " she asked concern could clearly be heard in her voice.

"I know it just that I'm starting to wonder if I have what it is going to take to finish this fight and do what needs to be done," answered Harry sounding defeated.

Hermione crossed the room and sat on the bed across from Harry, "of course you are Harry, you've fought You-Know-Who before and won."

"It was different then, he wasn't a whole person with all of his strength, and I'm not looking for reassurance, I need the truth right now," said Harry.

"I'm sorry, your right, the truth is Harry, I think you are ready you just haven't realized it yet. It's inside of you somewhere you just have to find it."

"How?" asked Harry.

"I heard this somewhere once, I'm not sure where, but it might help you figure things out …A true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but the strength of his heart, I hope it helps you Harry."

Harry nodded his head to acknowledge that he had heard her, he didn't know what else to say. They sat together in a comfortable silence, Hermione playing with a loose thread on the comforter, Harry had laid back on the pillow behind him with his arms behind his head. They heard Ron calling for Hermione from downstairs, "I'd better go see what he wants."

Harry nodded again as Hermione was leaving the room, "Thanks Hermione, for being here and understanding."

She smiled and gave him a little nod, then left the room. Harry thought about what Hermione had said, he knew there was truth to it, but did it apply to him. He then remembered what Dumbledore had told him, that what had protected him from Voldemort's curse all those years ago was love, his mother's love. Dumbledore had been telling him for years that love was the most powerful magic there is. Harry did have love in his life, a lot of people loved him, and they had been helping him for as long as he could remember. As far as the Weasley's were concerned Harry was family to them, Hermione had stuck by him for everything, even helping him to save Sirius. Harry knew there were many more that cared about him, and he knew that they needed him like he has needed them in one way or another over the years. Voldemort didn't have what Harry had, Dumbledore had always been right, Love always wins.


End file.
